Potted plants offer the advantage of portability if they are not too
large. Research your plants needs and match them to their proper environment.
Anticipate repotting every two years or so with faster growing types. The
outdoor location offers a number of advantages including higher humidity,
easier pest control, fertilizing and watering, and healthier plants.

Q. What plants will survive in pots on a sunny, screened patio with
minimal care?

A. I would use tough, sun-tolerant plants that need little water. Purchase
big unglazed clay pots with drain holes. The bigger the pot, the longer
the plant will not need water or attention. Use a light soil mix to maximize
drainage. Good choices include desert rose, dwarf crown-of-thorns, dwarf
schefflera, soft-tip yucca, snake plant, jade plant and spider lily. The
ti plant, which comes in green, white, red and purple leaf tones, is quite
tough and can take some shade and moisture as well as sun and some drought.
Ti plants color up better in a sunny location. Fertilize the plant with
Peters 20-20-20 according to directions.

Q. I have an entrance that faces north and receives no sun. What
would look good in that area?

A. Indian hawthorn is a good permanent choice for a large clay pot.
It will get 3 feet tall in time and is also salt tolerant. It has small
white flowers in the winter and spring.

Q. Why is my Ficus benjamina losing its leaves? I keep
it in a pot on a screened porch overlooking the ocean.

A. I suspect that your ficus could be reacting to the strong winds and
minute particles of salt spray coming onto your screened porch. Ficus is
not salt tolerant and will defoliate with prolonged heavy wind off the
ocean.

Q. My patio faces north. What are some suggestions for plantings?

A. A north-facing patio restricts one mainly to foliage plants, although
spathyphyllum with white spathes and anthurium with red to pink spathes
will provide color most of the year. Impatiens, sultana and torenia are
annuals that may work. All of these flowering plants require shelter from
cold and wind. Annuals are best between October and April. Summer heat
and humidity usually do them in by May. A beautiful elegant patio plant
is Zamia furfuracae, the cardboard plant. Various ferns should do
well with a lot of water. Chinese evergreen, peperomia, pleomele, dracena,
dieffenbachia, staghorn fern and many others also will be useful in this
location.

Q. What is bothering my desert rose?

Your desert rose wants full sun and very little water. It does nicely
in a clay pot with good-draining soil such as cactus mix or Pro-mix. It
normally loses leaves during the course of the year. Water in the morning
only and keep the leaves dry to avoid fungal problems. If flowers do not
open properly and the leaves are spotted, use a systemic insecticide such
as Orthene. Follow label directions and repeat treatment in ten days. Apply
before 10 a.m. Fertilize monthly with Peters 20-20-20.

Q. My patio faces west and gets full afternoon sun. What should
I plant in the pots against the wall?

A. Try baby sun rose, desert rose or dwarf crown of thorns. These plants
propagate easily from cuttings and are used to hot, dry conditions.

Q. What should I do with my pots
of poinsettia?

A. Poinsettias will do well in the ground in a sunny, fairly dry location
in south Florida. Pick a spot where artificial light does not hit the plant
(i.e. porch lights, streetlights, etc.) or the blooming cycle will be frustrated.
They are short day plants and need the lessening of daylight and cooler
temperatures to trigger them into bloom for the holiday season. Fertilize
monthly from March to October with a liquid plant food. Water in the morning
only to avoid scab, which can severely damage the plants. Keep alert for
hornworms, which can strip the foliage during the spring or summer months.
Spray with Dipel for control. You may prune the poinsettia for denser growth,
but do so no later than mid-June or the blooms will be destroyed.

Q. My crotons are in pots on a sunny patio. They are almost
bare and have brown tips on the leaves. What can I do for better foliage?

A. Crotons experience natural leaf drop, but excessive drop means spider
mite activity. Locate the crotons on the patio, out in the open away from
overhanging eaves. Natural rainfall usually will wash the mites off. It
wouldn't hurt to give them a blast of water from the hose. Insecticidal
soap will also work.

Q. My topiary has sticky leaves and I don't know what to do.

A. Your topiary is being attacked by a sucking insect. Move it outside
to a shady place and treat with Orthene following label directions. Repeat
in seven to ten days.

Q. I would like to grow a coconut on my screened porch. How do
I do this?

A. Coconuts would be unsuitable for a porch because they grow quickly.
You cannot collect coconuts and just plant them because they will get lethal
yellowing. Instead buy a Malayan dwarf golden coconut grown from certified
seed and plant it in the ground. Even the dwarfs can reach 40 feet in height.
They like full sun and can spread about 25 feet, so allow plenty of room.
Use a smaller palm for your screened porch such as pygmy date palm, which
will stay small for many years. The pygmy date prefers a sunny location.
If you have a shady porch, try the bamboo palm or lady palm.

Q. The areca palms in our pool patio area have turned a rusty
brown color. Some are turning yellow while others across the pool remain
green. What is happening?

A. Well water can stain arecas a rusty color if sprinklers hit the patio
area. Another name for areca palm is yellow butterfly palm. The plants
have a yellow-green cast to the foliage in sunny areas. They are greener
in the shade. Keep chlorine from the pool away from areca and other plants
as it can kill them. You might consider moving them outside. Arecas palms
get very large, 25-30 feet tall, and are good for screening out neighbors
or bad views. They will get too big for your screened patio. Pygmy date
palm, lady palm, and bamboo palm are smaller, slower growers that would
do well in a screened area.

Q. We have a new home and would like to add a low growing plant between
stepping-stones. Will periwinkle, creeping thyme or sedum do well?
The location is fairly shady. What will do well in pots on a sunny patio?

A. Some low sedums will do well here but usually need sun. It is too
hot for periwinkle and creeping thyme will not last. Mondo grass might
be a possibility. Hot patios are perfect for dwarf crown-of-thorns, desert
rose and kalanchoes. Use a clay pot for good drainage. All should last
a good number of years with little care or watering. Fertilize monthly
with Peter's 20-20-20. Be careful with vines, as many grow huge here.

Q. My topiary plants came from California and I think they are
eugenia. They produced a small cherry-like fruit. What can I do to rescue
them as they are going bare?

A. Your plants are Eugenia myrtifolia which are popular as topiary
plants in California. They make nice small to medium sized trees if allowed
to grow out. They are difficult to maintain indefinitely in a topiary form
and often go bare on the bottom first. I would use them in the landscape
as a tree. They will be almost impossible to restore to the perfect columns
they were.

Q. What are these brown growths on the back of my staghorn
ferns? What fertilizer should I use?

A. The brown growths are spore-producing areas and are natural. The
staghorn fern can get huge and weigh several hundred pounds. It is best
attached to a strong tree like live oak in a shady location. Banana peels
or fruit can be put into the center of the plant to add potassium. If attached
to a tree the fern does not need food at all. A half strength application
of Peters 20-20-20 applied monthly from March to October can be used if
the plant is on a porch or similar location.